Lamp socket



Sept. 13, 1955 K. M. ZELLNER LAMP SOCKET Filed March 17, 1953 Fig/- fl/J w l l l ln 9 s 4 7 "W T W X 0 M o m m m e N E {M Z I H p A a w m K Y I w B Fig.2

United States Patent LAMP SOCKET Karl M. Zellner, South Charleston, W. Va.

Application March 17, 1953, Serial No. 342,886

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-19) The present invention relates to new and useful improvement in lamp sockets equipped with testing means for a lamp placed in the socket.

An important object of invention is to provide a lamp socket for use with a plurality of electric lamps connected in series, such as lamps used for the illumination of Christmas trees and other lighting purposes and embodying means whereby each lamp may be tested in order to locate a defective lamp without removing the lamps from the several sockets.

Another object of invention is to provide a lamp socket embodying a novel construction and adapted to receive a removable testing key to short circuit the socket without passing the current through the lamp.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is eflicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the testing key.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of invention the numeral 5 designates a shell or housing or insulation material and of substantially cylindrical form and formed with an outer end portion 6 of increased diameter to provide an internal shoulder 7 in the shell or housing. The rear or inner end of the shell or housing 5 is tapered as shown at 8 and formed with an opening 9 to receive the circuit wires 10.

A socket 11 of suitable conductive material is formed at its outer end with an outwardly extending flange 12 adapted to rest on shoulder 7 to support the socket in the shell or housing 5 and a ring 12a extends upwardly from flange 12 to form a lining in the enlarged end 6 of the shell 5. The socket 11 is internally threaded in the usual manner to screw a lamp 4 therein.

The inner end of socket 11 is closed by a disk 13 of 2,717,985 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 insulation material and in the center of which a stem 14' also of conductive material is inserted and formed at its inner end with a contact head 15 adapted for engagement by the base of the lamp 4. A disk 16 of conductive material is preferably integrally formed with the stem 14 and is supported thereby under the base 13 of the socket 11. The circuit wires 10 are respectively soldered or otherwise suitably secured to the socket 11 and disk 16 to thus complete the circuit through the socket 11 from the lamp 4 and disk 16.

One side of the shell or housing 5 is formed with a pair of spaced apart openings 17 longitudinally aligned with each other and adapted to receive the leg portions 18 of a U-shaped testing key of conductive material in a position so that one leg thereof will contact the socket 11 while the other leg portion thereof will contact the periphery of disk 16. The outer or bight portion of the testing key is embedded in a handle 19 of insulation material.

In the operation of the device should one of the lamps of a series burn out, thus deenergizing all of the lamps of the series, the testing key 18 is inserted in the opening 17 of shell or housing 5 of each socket to bridge or short circuit the system through the socket 11 and disk 16 without passing through the lamp 4 until the defective lamp has been located whereupon the defective lamp may be replaced without the necessity of successively removing each lamp until the defective lamp has been located.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A lamp socket comprising in combination, a shell of insulation material, an internally threaded hollow body of conductive material supported in the shell and adapted for threadedly receiving a lamp, 2. disk of insulation material closing the bottom of the hollow body, a contact supported centrally in the disk and adapted for engagement by the base of the lamp, a disk of conductive material connected to and supported by the contact under the insulation bottom of the hollow body, said hollow body and said last named disk being substantially equal in diameter and having circuit wires connected thereto, said shell having a pair of openings alined respectively with the periphery of the hollow body and with the periphery of said last named disk, and a U-shaped key removably received in said openings to electrically bridge the hollow body and the last named disk.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 768,175 Fritchle Aug. 23, 1904 1,947,798 Reinhardt Feb. 20, 1934 2,180,121 Seeghers Nov. 14, 1939 

